Method and apparatus for printing on smartcards and the like

Abstract

A method for printing on a smart card using the printer of a postage meter is disclosed. The postage meter has a feed mechanism for feeding mail items past a print head and the construction of the feed mechanism is such that the spacing of adjacent feed rollers is greater than the length of the smart card. As a result the feed mechanism is incapable of feeding smart cards. Therefore in the method a carrier is provided for the smart card, the carrier being of sufficient length as to be engaged by the feed rollers during feeding thereof. Preferably the carrier comprises a sheet having a recess therein to receive the smart card so that the print receiving surface of the smart card is approximately co-planar with the surface of the carrier sheet.

1. A method of using a postage meter to print on a memory card storing an advertising slogan, wherein the postage meter includes a memory for storing the advertising slogan and a printer having a print head and first and second feeding means for feeding a memory card mounted on a carrier past the print head to receive an imprint of the advertising slogan, the first and second feeding means being operative to engage the carrier at first and second spaced locations to feed the same in a feeding direction, with the second location being spaced in a downstream direction from the first location by a distance greater than a dimension of the memory card in the feeding direction, the method comprising the steps of:
 downloading advertising slogan data from the memory card into the memory of the postage meter;  
 providing a carrier for the memory card, the carrier having a length at least equal to the distance between the first and second locations;  
 mounting the memory card to the carrier;  
 feeding the memory card while mounted in the carrier to and past the print head by utilizing the first and second feeding means to concurrently feed the carrier, whereby the memory card is fed by the first feeding means at least until the carrier is fed by the second feeding means; and  
 printing an imprint of the advertising slogan from the advertising slogan data in the memory of the postage meter on the memory card.  
 
   
   
     2. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the carrier comprises a sheet member including a recess at a surface thereof to receive the memory card such that a face of the memory card to receive the imprint of the advertising slogan is exposed. 
   
   
     3. The method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the recess has a depth such that the face of the memory card where received in the recess is approximately level with the surface of the carrier. 
   
   
     4. The method as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the carrier comprises a first sheet element and a second sheet element bonded in overlying relation to the first sheet element, and the second sheet element includes an aperture therein forming the recess to receive the memory card. 
   
   
     5. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the memory card is a smartcard.